Pakistan’s People Power: Grassroots Path to Social Justice

As the world strives to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, a new International Labor Organization report reveals stark global inequalities: a person’s place of birth still determines over half their lifetime earnings, and more than 800 million people survive on less than $3 a day.

Against this backdrop, Pakistan’s own social and economic challenges from alarming security threats in two provinces to a population set to reach 320 million by 2040, are prompting an urgent rethink.

Can citizen-led initiatives drive the change that institutions have failed to deliver?

Evidence suggests they already are. Despite the state’s shortcomings, Pakistanis run one of the world’s most vibrant philanthropic sectors, with organizations like LRBT, TCF, Indus Hospitals, and SIUT serving millions.

In the informal economy, women manage micro-community “committee” systems, while the gig economy ranks Pakistan among the global top five for freelance work, sustaining low and middle income families despite erratic internet access.

 Youth, who make up more than half the population, are demonstrating remarkable agency through student societies, digital campaigns, and civic participation, such as the determined voter turnout on February 8, 2024.

Yet, with only 66% progress on SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), and over a million educated youth having emigrated recently, the need for structured citizen engagement in politics and policy has never been clearer.